As the US prepares to send 30,000 or more troops to Afghanistan, Iraq has seen a dramatic decrease in violence, less today than at any time since the US-led invasion of 2003. All 120,000 American troops are out of the cities, replaced by Iraqi forces. Complete US withdrawal is supposed to be paved by elections early next year, but powerful ethnic differences — all too familiar -- have caused it to be delayed. Today, Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi was given a few more days to approve or veto a new election law that is crucial to the benchmarks established for withdrawal. Could the inability to form a stable government mean a return of violence? Would American troops be pressed back into action? What would that mean for President Obama's plan to increase forces in Afghanistan?
Iraq: That 'Other' War
Credits
Guests:
- Warren Strobel - national security reporter, Wall Street Journal - @WStrobel
- Lawrence Korb - Center for American Progress Action Fund - @LarryKorb
- Rahman Aljebouri - Senior Program Officer on the Middle East and Africa, National Endowment for Democracy
- Gordon Lubold - Wall Street Journal - @glubold